The campaign comes in the wake of a series of incidents of online racism, including the abuse of United defender Smalling following his side's Champions League quarter-final defeat in Barcelona this week.

"Throughout my career I have developed a thick skin against verbal abuse, justifying it as just 'part of the game', but the time has come for Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to consider regulating their channels," Smalling said.

1:03

Premier League managers Eddie Howe and Neil Warnock have thrown their support behind the PFA's anti-racism campaign #Enough.

Premier League managers Eddie Howe and Neil Warnock have thrown their support behind the PFA's anti-racism campaign #Enough.

Tottenham and England defender Danny Rose added: "I don't want any future players to go through what I've been through in my career.

"Collectively, we are simply not willing to stand by while too little is done by football authorities and social media companies to protect players from this disgusting abuse."

Simone Pound, Head of Equalities at the PFA, said: "Football has the power to do so much good in the world. We must always try to use the sport's popularity and influence to make positive change."

Social media networks Facebook and Instagram responded to the campaign on Friday.

A spokesperson for Facebook told Press Association Sport: "There is no place for racism or abusive behaviour on Facebook. "We will remove hate speech or credible threats of any kind, and we encourage anyone who sees content they find offensive to report it so we can remove anything that breaks our Community Standards.

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Former West Brom boss Darren Moore has encouraged support for the PFA’s #Enough campaign on EFL Matters, which is seeing professional footballers boycott social media in a stand against racism

Former West Brom boss Darren Moore has encouraged support for the PFA’s #Enough campaign on EFL Matters, which is seeing professional footballers boycott social media in a stand against racism

"There is always more we can do and we are continuing to invest in technology and our team of 30,000 people working in safety and security so everyone has a safe and positive experience on Facebook."

Instagram also declared its commitment, with a spokesperson saying: "We are committed to fostering a kind and supportive community and are continually investing in ways to ensure everyone on Instagram has a positive experience.

"We encourage anyone who sees content they find offensive to report it in-app and we work quickly to remove anything that breaks our guidelines. Nothing is more important to us than the safety of everyone on Instagram and we are committed to finding more ways to support them."